Curriculum Vitae

Dr Ameera Al-Hassan is a Kuwaiti development leader and environmental researcher with experience spanning education, ecological research, urban policy and United Nations service. From 2019 to 30 September 2026, she headed the UN-Habitat office in Kuwait with responsibilities extending to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. Her work brought government, international institutions, the private sector and civil society together around sustainable cities, climate resilience, humanitarian reconstruction and community participation.

Her academic training combines biology and education, ecology and environmental architecture. Within UN-Habitat, she supported the translation of the 2030 Agenda and the New Urban Agenda into programmes responsive to Kuwait Vision 2035 and regional priorities. Her experience includes programme management, institutional partnerships, resource mobilisation, diplomatic engagement, public communication and the development of initiatives for young people and communities.

Thesis: Environmental Architecture Education: A comparative study between the curricula of Kuwait University and Newcastle University with reflection on policy making and end users. Her research examined architectural education in relation to environmental sustainability, policy and the needs of users, with particular attention to the Kuwaiti context.

Major: intermediate and secondary biology. Minor: intermediate and secondary geology.

Led the Kuwait office and its GCC-facing programme, working with the UN-Habitat Regional Office for Arab States and national and international partners, until 30 September 2026.

• Directed the office’s annual planning, programme delivery, reporting, partnership development and representation, linking national and regional priorities to the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda.
• Worked with Kuwait’s ministries, public authorities, development and charitable institutions, diplomatic missions, universities, companies, volunteers and civil society to build programmes and mobilise resources.
• Contributed to UN country coordination, including the UN Country Team and work on the UN cooperation framework, results groups, common country analysis, business operations and consolidated reporting.
• Participated in the UN Sand and Dust Storms Coalition and engaged regional stakeholders on urban resilience and environmental risks.

Supported office operations, government liaison, programme development and regional cooperation on sustainable urban development.

Began as an intern in 2009 while undertaking doctoral research. Work over the following years included stakeholder coordination, contributions to GCC national reporting, regional capacity building, support for conferences and ministerial meetings, and engagement with donors on the needs of displaced people and refugees.

Before 2014, held a range of academic, teaching and research positions in environmental science and ecology, including secondary-school teaching, university teaching, scientific research, university journal editing and correspondence, and translation. In 1990, during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, volunteered as a microbiology laboratory technician at Ibn Sina Hospital.

Developed and supported partnerships with Kuwaiti government and charitable institutions to connect resources with UN-Habitat programmes in Kuwait and humanitarian needs across the region. Figures are as reported in the office’s 2019–2025 progress report.

• Iraq and Kuwait: helped secure a Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development grant of approximately KWD 4 million for a project addressing transboundary sand and dust storms.
• Mosul, Iraq: supported an approximately USD 600,000 contribution from the Kuwait Relief Society in 2020 for the rehabilitation of 100 homes in the Al Shifa neighbourhood, helping displaced families return.
• Gaza: worked with UN-Habitat’s Palestine office and the International Islamic Charitable Organization on a reported contribution of approximately USD 575,000 for housing rehabilitation, completed before 7 October 2023. The project scope included 50 family homes.
• Beirut, Lebanon: supported an approximately USD 130,000 contribution from the International Islamic Charitable Organization in 2021 for housing and areas affected by the Beirut port explosion.
• Derna, Libya: supported approximately USD 765,000 in Kuwait Relief Society funding in April 2025 for the rehabilitation of damaged housing following the disaster.
• Afghanistan: supported an approximately USD 250,000 contribution from the Government of Kuwait through its Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
• Kuwait: secured reported support from Kuwait Oil Company of approximately KWD 20,000 in direct office funding and KWD 35,000 in in-kind contributions for planting initiatives. The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training also contributed seedlings for community distribution.

• Established and led the Kuwait Plants voluntary environmental initiative and team, launched in 2019. The office’s 2019–2025 report records seven phases and more than 100,000 trees and seedlings planted, including more than 30,000 Kuwaiti wild plant seedlings through cooperation with the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training.
• Worked with Kuwait Oil Company, Kuwait Municipality, educational institutions and volunteers on planting across reserves, schools, parks and other public spaces, including Abdali, Sabah Al Ahmad and Al Shamiya sites.
• Highlighted participation by more than 60 embassies and international organisations at the September 2026 launch of the 2026–2027 Kuwait Plants season.
• Led the funding, maintenance, greening and reconstruction of the Kuwait–Turkey Friendship Garden project in 2026, with participation from more than 55 ambassadors accredited to Kuwait, and organised a children’s activity day there.
• Supported mangrove planting with the Environment Public Authority and partners at Jahra Nature Reserve, and planting activities with the embassies of Bhutan, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, India and European partners.
• Supported the Kuwait–Iraq sand and dust storm programme through partner coordination, technical workshops and regional advocacy, including engagement in Basra.
• Supported the Bahrain Greening Campaign with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

• Worked with the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development on urban studies, development reporting and alignment with Kuwait Vision 2035 and UN development frameworks.
• Helped organise the first and second National Urban Forums. The first included 14 discussion sessions and an exhibition involving more than 30 entities.
• Supported an eco-cities technical workshop with the planning secretariat, UNDP and the World Bank.
• Engaged Kuwait’s National Assembly leadership on housing and public-space policy, and worked through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with housing, municipal, planning and public works authorities.
• Oversaw participation in World Habitat Day, World Cities Day and Urban October, including 29 related activities, and supported urban arts projects in Mubarakiya and Mishref with Turkish and Pakistani partners.

• Co-hosted a sustainable water use event with the Embassy of Switzerland and contributed to a water scarcity discussion with the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences, the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates and the UN in Kuwait.
• Developed a sustainability partnership with Alshaya Group and Starbucks using coffee grounds in greening. The office’s report states that more than 260 tonnes of coffee waste were recycled.
• Supported the introduction of artificial intelligence in office operations and the development of the “Maryam” digital character.
• Worked with Kuwait College of Science and Technology on a robotics and smart cities workshop for young people with disabilities.

• Supported youth and children’s sustainability camps. The fourth children’s camp concluded in August 2026, with engineering models, coding, robotics and circular-economy projects.
• Organised or supported sustainability activities with schools and universities, including Kuwait University, and with community volunteers at Al Shamiya.
• Co-organised a conference on workers’ housing and well-being with Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the International Labour Organization, the International Organization for Migration and national partners.
• Supported the COVID-19 response through mask donations with the Taiwan Trade Office and the Czech Embassy.
• Worked with diplomatic and community partners on blood donation drives, coastal clean-ups and cultural activities, and strengthened outreach through visits to Kuwaiti diwaniyas.

• World Urban Forum: Abu Dhabi, 2020; Katowice, Poland, 2022; and Cairo, 2024. Supported the participation of Kuwait, Qatar and Oman.
• Second session of the UN-Habitat Assembly, Nairobi, 2023: supported delegations from Kuwait and Qatar.
• UN climate conferences: COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, 2022, and COP28 in Dubai, 2023.
• UN Convention to Combat Desertification: COP15 in Abidjan, 2022, and COP16 in Riyadh, 2024.
• Regional and technical meetings: sand and dust storms workshop in Jeddah, 2022; international conference on combating sand and dust storms in Tehran, 2023; GCC housing ministers conference in Oman, 2024.
• Fifth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Doha, 2023.
• Supported visits by senior UN-Habitat officials to Kuwait and Qatar. The office reported contributing to the appointment of Princess Lamia bint Majid Al Saud as a UN-Habitat Goodwill Ambassador in 2020.

• Doctoral research in environmental architecture education, comparative curricula, policymaking and the role of end users, presented at national and international conferences.
• Contributed to regional capacity building, urban reporting and public discussions on climate resilience, sustainable water use, healthy cities and inclusive communities.
• Engaged in public communication and media outreach on the Sustainable Development Goals, environmental protection and community participation.
• Authored academic publications and received professional recognition in ecology and environmental conservation, alongside honours for work advancing sustainable development and the New Urban Agenda.

Arabic: native | English: fluent, professional | Spanish and French: intermediate | Turkish, Persian and Hindi: basic